Killer Lines in the Clothes Store
by Swagnarok
Summary: As his surrogate mother, Eri takes it upon herself to punish Conan for having recently lied about his whereabouts, resorting to a very cruel and unusual manner of punishment. Episodes 972-973.
1. Chapter 1

The automatic door slid open. A soft chime sound played near the entrance to alert the employees that a customer had come inside.

"Quit dragging your feet and act like a big boy," Eri scolded.

"I dun wanna!" Conan whined. "I dun wanna!"

"Well you have to," Eri said. "You've been outgrowing your old clothes, and apparently that man never bothered to bring you shopping for anything new."

Eri was holding Conan's hand and dragging him across the clothes store.

"Ooh! The clearance rack!" she exclaimed. "Let's see if we can find anything for cheap there."

Conan just groaned.

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! Cruel and unusual punishment: a boy forced to shop for clothes! A sudden death makes matters worse, as does a sinister presence! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Killer Lines in the Clothes Store! Part One!**

 **Earlier That Day**

They left Teitan as a group.

Nancy shivered. "If I'd have known it'd be like this, I would've put on a little more to wear."

Conan looked up. "It's a little too early in the year for snow, isn't it?"

"Ah, I know!" Genta said. "The snow's part of that global warming grownups on the news are always talking about!"

"Genta," Conan said with an exasperated sigh.

"Ah, Ayumi-chan!" Mitsuhiko said. "You must be some kind of psychic or something!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, come to think of it, today was the first day this season that it's been so cold," Shiro said. "How'd you know to leave your home with a scarf and mitts?"

"Well, actually, I got these recently and I just wanted to show them off at school," Ayumi said.

"Heeehh?" Conan said. "You went shopping for winter clothes this time of year?"

"W-well no, not exactly," Ayumi stammered, blushing.

"Hmm, come to think of it, that scarf looks like it's got some stains all over," Shiro said. "And from different stuff; I'd say that somebody'd already been using it for a while before you got it. Did you get those at a garage sale? Or maybe it's a hand-me-down from an older brother or sister?"

"Uh, no, Ayumi-chan's an only child," Mitsuhiko said.

Nancy tapped Conan on the shoulder.

They slowed down to let the rest of the group get way ahead of them.

"So, were you able to contact her?" Nancy asked. "About Torishima-sensei, that is."

Conan shook his head. "Well, I dropped by the professor's place before school, and it turns out Haibara left her phone there."

"Say what? Did she really do that?"

Conan nodded. "Apparently Elena-san wanted to make sure their whereabouts can't be traced by GPS or by intercepting a call to or from her. I even tried Line Zero, so that I could contact Elena and ask her to put Haibara on the phone, but apparently that line's been discontinued for the time being. I guess we're going to have to wait about 7-9 days before we can ask her about that matter."

"Do you think he's Mezcal?" Nancy asked.

"Like I said before, since then I haven't really observed anything suspicious about him," Conan said. "Well, I guess he could be some of master of disguise like Vermouth was, but considering that he's just supposed to be some scientist who was cooped up in a lab somewhere? I doubt he'd possess a skill set like that. So the real Mezcal should exhibit, well, something...something that lets me know he's one of the Men in Black. There should be observable signs of such."

"You've learned to smell them, right?"

"Yeah, but there're limitations to the ability," Conan said. "At first I could smell Shiro, but he's lost that scent after this much time. Likewise, I haven't been able to smell It on Haibara at all, since by the time my nose learned to detect that distinct smell she'd already been far removed from the clutches of the Organization for quite a while. There's probably a million different variables; it could very well be the case that Mezcal doesn't give off any noticeable smell at all."

They were nearing home.

"If they recognized Shiro's face in the newspaper, then if Torishima-sensei were Mezcal then they'd already have received confirmation by now that we chose to hide him as a child at Teitan Elementary. Then again, they could simply be investigating a possible connection between that child and their person, as a precautionary measure after noticing a striking resemblance between the two."

"...Are you scared?" Nancy asked.

Conan scoffed. "By this point it takes a lot more than this to-"

"Conan-kun."

As soon as they opened the door, Eri was waiting.

Something about the expression on her face unnerved Conan deeply. "Y-yes, auntie Eri?"

"I've decided on your punishment," Eri said. "For lying to me the day before last about going to the Professor's house when you were really someplace else bothering some random grown men."

"Yes ma'am," Conan said meekly.

Whatever it is, it can't be too bad, he thought. No Kamen Yaiba for a week? Please. I'm grounded for a month? Endurable. Corporal punishment? I'm ready for anything that she can-

"Let's go, Conan-kun," Eri said with a strange grin.

"Huh? Go where?"

"Shopping for clothes."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Conan shrieked, falling to his knees and breaking out into a half-sob. "Anything but that, Auntie Eri! Anything but...!"

 **Scene Transition**

Eri was holding Conan's hand and dragging him across the clothes store.

"Ooh! The clearance rack!" she exclaimed. "Let's see if we can find anything for cheap there."

Conan just groaned.

They were walking over to the clearance rack when:

"Oh, hi there!"

"Hmm? Sonoko-kun?" Eri said.

"I see you've brought the four-eyed brat with you," Sonoko said. "How about Nancy-chan? Is she here too?"

"No, it's just me and Conan-kun today," Eri said. "I think I'll take Nancy-kun next week. So, you here to get some shopping in?"

"No ma'am, I'm just looking around today," Sonoko said.

"Ah! I just thought of something!" Eri said. "Sonoko-kun, how'd you like to help me pick out some clothes for him?"

Conan saw Sonoko let out an evil grin. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"N-no thank you, Auntie Eri!" Conan said. "I can pick something out myself if you don't-"

"Why, I'd love to!" Sonoko said, a deliberate air of fakeness to her voice.

"...This is part of my punishment, isn't it?" Conan said sullenly.

"Yes."

 **Scene Transition**

"Hurry up in there, runt!" Sonoko said. "We wanna see how it looks on you!"

All the more reason not to come on out, Conan thought.

But knowing that he had no choice, he opened the door and stepped out of the fitting room.

He was wearing long green socks, denim overall shorts (with a teddy bear print on the stomach area) and a colorful hat with a spinny thing on top.

It was pretty obvious to him that Eri and Sonoko were struggling to stifle their laughter.

"Well, what do you think, Conan-kun?" Eri asked.

"I'd rather go around butt naked than be seen wearing...H-HEY WAI-"

Too late. Sonoko and Eri both snapped pictures of the boy with their phones.

"You'd better not be putting that on the internet!" Conan said, flustered.

But he knew that was exactly what they were doing, and that he was powerless to stop them.

"Alright, Conan-kun, now let's try on the next one," Eri said.

Next...one? Conan thought.

 **Scene Transition**

He stepped out of the fitting room clad from head to toe in a heavily stereotypical cowboy outfit.

"Now give us a pose, kid," Sonoko said.

Conan sighed and did a finger pistol as Eri and Sonoko gleefully took pictures on their phones.

Oh well, it can't get worse than this, he thought.

 **Scene Transition**

As he emerged wearing pink bunny footie pajamas, he realized just how wrong he was.

And again, they whipped out their phones to snap photos, as did even one or two passersby.

 _This_ is the worst it can possibly get, he thought.

 **Scene Transition**

Nope.

I'm not coming out this time, he thought, looking at himself in the fitting room mirror.

He was wearing a dress with a tiara.

Screw them, I'm not doing it, he thought. I'm just gonna take this thing off and-

*flash*

"H-Hey, no fair!" Conan whined.

Sonoko had stuck her hand, which was holding a phone, in from above the door.

Sonoko got down from the stool and checked out the image on her phone.

"That look on his face is priceless!" Eri said, chuckling.

A few seconds later Conan came out, wearing his normal clothes. "That's it, I'm not doing any more."

"Fair enough," Eri said. "That part of your punishment is over."

"Yeah, we got some great pictures anyhow," Sonoko said.

"Now let's go find you some decent clothes to buy," Eri said.

 **Scene Transition**

As they checked out shoes in an aisle near the front, they couldn't help but overhear some of the employees talking:

"It still feels really weird, though."

"Like there's something missing inside your mouth!"

"Yeah, exactly like that!"

"But isn't it gross, having to stick those things in your mouth every night?"

"Yeah. The worst part is the container that I leave them in all day. It can get nasty fast, so now I'm making time every night to clean it out with wendex. Just a pinch, of-"

" _Oi_ , you two! Tomomi, have you finished restocking the sweaters?"

Tomomi Wakahara, age 25, nodded. "Yeah, I got done with that about ten minutes ago."

"Oh, and again, congratulations on your marriage, Tadamasa- _kun_ ," Yuniko Hidaka, age 23, said.

"That's Fujiki- _san_ to you," the manager, Tadamasa Fujiki, age 24, said coarsely.

"Hmph, don't act so pretentious," Hidekazu Aohashi, age 22, said. "We all know you only got to where you are by sleeping with my sister."

Tadamasa growled. "However it happened, don't you ever forget that I'm your boss now. All of you!"

And with that he stormed off.

"What a swell guy," Sonoko muttered sarcastically.

"Ehh? If it isn't Conan-kun! And Mouri-san's wife too!"

Sonoko was just about ready to flip when she saw...

"Sonoko-neechan, meet Misato, Inspector Yamamura's twin brother," Conan said. "We met him in a case recently."

"Hi," Misato said.

"U-uh, hi," Sonoko said awkwardly.

"So what brings the two of you here?" Eri asked.

"Ah, well, while he was in Tokyo Misao figured he might as well take me shopping and help me pick out some new clothes," Misato said. "My own wardrobe's quite bland, to be honest."

"Bland's an understatement," Misao said. "Ever since we were little this doofus has had no good taste in fashion. I'd reckon he spends most his time in that lab coat."

He's even wearing it here, Conan thought with a deadpan look.

"So what about the three of you?" Misao asked. "What're you up to?"

"Oh, we came to buy Conan-kun some new clothes," Eri said.

"We also snapped some glorious photos of him trying stuff on," Sonoko said. "Wanna see?"

"No!" Conan protested. "Don't you dare show that to them!"

"Or what, br-"

*POP*

"What on earth was that?" Eri asked.

Sonoko looked around. "Hmm, come to think of it, there's all these balloons being flown around the-"

*POP*

"It's probably just some naughty kid," Misato said.

"Yeah, a gunshot would've been a lot louder than that," Misao said.

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

 **Scene Transition**

Nobody dared say a word as they slowly made their way through the pitch-black, 100-metre passageway.

Shiho kept her hand on the left side wall as she walked. She reflected on her life, on her past and her future.

"Ah, we're through it," Atsushi said.

They left the underground and re-entered the well-illuminated grounds of Zentsu-ji Temple.

Elena was waiting.

"You should've gone in with us," Atsushi said. "It was a blast."

"No thanks," she said. "In my line of work honest self-reflection is generally something I try to avoid."

"Don't be like that," Atsushi said.

"So, where to next?" Satoshi asked.

They passed by the magnificent camphor tree looming high over two small shrines. The tree is said to have been over a thousand years old, having been around in the days of the legendary Japanese Buddhist monk Kukai, the man credited with having developed the Japanese alphabet.

"Um, well, I'll have to consult the map," Atsushi said.

"Why couldn't we have just done the Shikoku Pilgrimage in proper order, dad?" Shiho asked, annoyed.

"W-well, I figured we might not have time to do them all so we might as well have visited Zentsu-ji first, right?" Atsushi said apologetically. "It's the big one, after all."

"If we're not doing the pilgrimage in order we might as well just find a better way to spend this vacation," Elena said.

"Ah! I know!" Satoshi said. "We could visit Matsuyama city! They've got Matsuyama Castle, as well as the Dogo Onsen."

"Dogo...Onsen?" Elena repeated.

"One of the most renowned onsens in the country," Atsushi said. "The author of _Botchan_ famously frequented the place."

"...Before we go anywhere else, there was something I've been meaning to ask you, mom," Shiho said, looking very hesitant and serious as she spoke.

Elena sighed. "Oh boy. This concerns some highly unpleasant topic of conversation that could and probably should wait until later, doesn't it?"

"No, it can't wait, because later you'll just brush me off again," Shiho said.

"Should we just wait for you two in the van?" Atsushi asked.

"I suppose so," Elena said.

After they were gone...

"Did you kill Ran Mouri?" Shiho blurted out.

"...Not personally, no."

"But you had something to do with it?"

"Now see here, if you mention _any_ of this to Shinichi, he'll..."

"That's not what I had in mind," Shiho said. "Are you or are you not responsible for Ran's murder?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"It became clear when you threatened to 'undo' her revival: that you saw her as a puppet string to manipulate Kudo-kun with. When I realized this, it wasn't much of a stretch to assume that you're the one who killed her in the first place. And also, Ran remembered."

"Huh?"

"She remembered the moment of her death."

"How on earth did she do that that?!"

"I don't know. It was some kind of fluke, I guess. But anyways, she said that the man who killed her wasn't Gin, but rather someone who went through no small deal of effort to disguise as him, even if on a superficial level. And who would want to frame this on the Organization but the people starchly opposed to them?"

"Hmm, interesting that she would remember that. I guess it's way too late to...correct that slip-up now."

"Indeed," Shiho said. "But why?"

"Why? Why...what?"

Upon seeing this reaction, Shiho was shocked and outraged. "WHY would you do something like that?! Is NOTHING SACRED to you?!"

"Sacred?! Really? Did you _really_ just use that word? Sacred is when a bunch of imbeciles adamantly refuse to ask any questions about the very subjects that demand the most questioning. Well I have news for you: I'm not like that! I don't believe in rules. I simply have values, and make no mistake, I will do _anything_ to protect those things which and those people whom I value. I will cross any line, up until the point where logic would refute a course of action on my part."

There was a pause.

"Are we done talking about this?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, for now at least," Shiho said.

"Good. Because I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

 **Scene Transition**

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

And with that, Conan and the two Yamamuras ran towards the source, the store's office room, where normally only employees were allowed.

The discoverer of the scene, Yuniko, had sunken to her knees, a traumatized look on face.

Tadamasa sat slumped in his desk chair, unresponsive.

In the background, a smoke detector mounted on the wall was beeping wildly.

Misao checked his pulse, and then shook his head as to signal "No use, he's dead."

Misato and Conan looked at the beeping alarm. A few seconds later, it stopped.

By this time Eri, Sonoko, and the two other employees had gathered.

"Who's worked here the longest?!" Misato demanded.

"I-I have," Hidekazu said.

"I have a question for you then," Misato said. "It's about that smoke detector."

He put his mouth up to Hidekazu's ear and whispered.

Conan stood next to them as was able to make out Misato's question.

"Yeah," Hidekazu answered. "It is. How'd you know?"

I see, Conan thought, taking another look around the room. It's clear, then: this man was murdered!

 **Ending**

( _Hoshi Monogatari_ by Egoist)

I know you've taken this from my cold dead fingertips

I wrote this to tell you what I never had the nerve to say

Because I know that right now, you're punishing yourself

Because you of all people deserve to know the whole story

Once I was only a child, but I was old enough to understand

Something important was missing, though I didn't know what

I wandered in the dark, calling to the crowd, "Excuse me, sirs!"

"Somebody, anybody, please, tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

Finally, on the starry night of Tanabata, I looked out my window

And said, "Kami-sama, if you could let me have a friend, just one.

One who's true and faithful, and funny, but most of all spirited.

This one thing I ask, and I'll never ask for anything ever again."

And then I met you, and in what seemed like an eternity I had

The chance to know you, and for the first time I was really happy

It never ended, you see, that initial bliss: it grew, as we grew closer

Thank you, my one and dearest friend, for teaching me how to love

 **Next Conan's Hint: Green Light**


	2. Chapter 2

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

And with that, Conan and the two Yamamuras ran towards the source, the store's office room, where normally only employees were allowed.

The discoverer of the scene, Yuniko, had sunken to her knees, a traumatized look on face.

Tadamasa sat slumped in his desk chair, unresponsive.

In the background, a smoke detector mounted on the wall was beeping wildly.

Misao checked his pulse, and then shook his head as to signal "No use, he's dead."

Misato and Conan looked at the beeping alarm. A few seconds later, it stopped.

By this time Eri, Sonoko, and the two other employees had gathered.

"Who's worked here the longest?!" Misato demanded.

"I-I have," Hidekazu said.

"I have a question for you then," Misato said. "It's about that smoke detector."

He put his mouth up to Hidekazu's ear and whispered.

Conan stood next to them and was able to make out Misato's question.

"Yeah," Hidekazu answered. "It is. How'd you know?"

I see, Conan thought, taking another look around the room. It's clear, then: this man was murdered!

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! A killer haunts the aisles of the clothes store! But how did that person do it? A faint glimmer reveals the truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Killer Lines in the Clothes Store! Part Two!**

"Huuh? Are you sure about that?" Tomomi asked.

"No, but I'm reasonably sure," Misato said.

"But it's been cold today, right?" Misao said. "So he lighted that fireplace. Look."

Then they all noticed the smoldering embers of the small fireplace in the office.

"I'm just saying, some of the smoke from there could've entered the room by accident, and then he breath it in and died," Misao said.

"But one can smell the smoke from a fire well before it becomes lethal, right?" Conan said. "Why didn't he simply leave the room?"

"On the other hand, carbon monoxide is odorless," Misato said. "And you see those balloons there?"

Indeed: surrounding the victim were several fragments of popped black balloons.

"Normally one puts helium, or exhaled air, into one of those, right?" Misato said. "But in theory, you could put any other gas in it, right? I suspect that they were filled with carbon monoxide. One can easily fill a balloon with this gas by putting it up to the exhaust on a car. He was sitting so close to them when they popped that he immediately received a lethal dose, and suffocated as a consequence."

"But why would a balloon be filled with that in the first place?" Takagi asked.

"It's simple," Eri said. "Somebody wanted him dead."

"B-but hold on a minute," Yuniko said. "When I found Tadamasa-kun like this, the smoke detector was going off."

"Well, actually, that smoke alarm will also pick up carbon monoxide," Hidekazu said. "I should know: I installed it myself, three years ago."

"Hmm," Megure said. He looked at Takagi and nodded.

"If you three don't mind, we'd like to have a talk with each of you in private," Takagi said.

 **Scene Transition**

"Your name is Yuniko Hidaka, correct?" Takagi asked.

" _Hai_ , but my friends just call me Yunnie-chan."

"You were the first one to discover the body?" Megure asked.

Yuniko nodded. "I heard the popping noises coming from his office, so I decided to go check on him."

"And he was already unresponsive when you got there?" Takagi asked.

"That's right. Am I a suspect."

"Yes, don't take it personally," Megure said. "This is just standard procedure. What was your relation to the deceased?"

"Well, we've been co-workers for about a year and a half," she said.

"What was your opinion on him?" Takagi asked.

"He was a jerk!" Yuniko said. "A year ago I loaned him ¥10,000 and he never paid me back!"

(Author's Note: 10,000 Yen is equivalent to 100 U.S. Dollars)

"So you resented him?" Megure asked.

"A little bit, yeah," Yuniko said.

Then she caught herself. "B-but don't get me wrong! I would never kill someone over ¥10,000!"

"By the way, what do you do here?" Takagi asked.

"I'm a cashier," Yuniko said. "Tomomi-chan used to be, up until about one month ago when she cussed at a customer, and then I took over her job. Before that I was a stockboy."

Takagi and Megure looked at each other and then back at Yuniko. "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. We just have one more question. In between the popping of the balloons and your arrival at the scene, approximately how much time lapsed?"

"From the first pop to me finding Tadamasa-kun dead? Ehh, about thirty seconds, maybe. From the second pop to my discovery, about ten seconds."

"Do you believe there's a chance somebody could've killed Tadamasa-kun and then run out of the office without you noticing?" Takagi asked.

Yuniko shook her head. "No, that's impossible. From behind the counter I had a clear view of entrance to the office. Had anybody entered or exited during that time, I would've seen it."

 **Scene Transition**

"You are...Tomomi Wakahara, if I'm not mistaken?" Megure asked.

Tomomi nodded. "You wanna know what my relation to the victim was, I take it?"

"Yes, we'd appreciate it if you could be honest and withhold nothing of relevance," Takagi said.

"Hmph, very well. Truth be told, 5 years ago Tadamasa-kun and I both worked elsewhere, as garbagemen."

A-a pretty girl like yourself, a garbageman? Takagi thought, dumbfounded.

"At one point, as coworkers we had what you might call a fling," Tomomi said. "It lasted about three months, up until I caught him cheating."

"A fling, huh?" Megure muttered.

"Hey now, what's with that look?!" Tomomi protested. "That was ancient history! I don't still hold a grudge about that!"

"But since you're probably going to find out anyway, I might as well just let you know now," she continued. "For the past two years Tadamasa-kun had been dating the woman who owns this place. Three days ago they tied the knot, in a ceremony that was boycotted by the bride's whole family, save her brother, who works here. Recently he was elevated to the position of manager, but before that he was a stockboy, a regular employee, just like Yunnie and me, and same as Hidekazu-kun."

"You say the victim's wife's brother works here?" Takagi asked.

"Yeah, that would be Hidekazu-kun. You want me to send him in next?"

"Please do," Megure said.

 **Scene Transition**

"You're Hidekazu Aohashi?" Megure asked.

"Yes sir."

"We've been told that you're the owner's brother."

"Yeah, I'm Haruyo's little brother."

"Uh-huh. What did you think of their relationship?"

"Tadamasa was a slimeball, and my sister deserved better than him," Hidekazu said frankly. "Though, I guess I shouldn't speak ill of the dead."

"You were reportedly the only member of your sister's family to attend the wedding," Takagi said. "Is this true? And if so, why?"

"Well, to be honest I was going to boycott it too," Hidekazu said. "But then I learned that all this was really upsetting her, so I felt bad about myself and decided to show up and support her on what would perhaps be the most important day of her life."

"By the way, we've noticed that there are black balloons flying all over the store," Megure said.

"Uh, yes, those were left over from the wedding, so we decided to fly them up here for decoration," Hidekazu said. "I helped set them up, as did Tadamasa, Tomomi and Yunnie-chan."

"And when was this?" Takagi asked.

"The day before last."

"So the balloons that contained the poison gas had been up in that office since two days ago?" Megure asked.

"I suppose so, yeah."

 **Scene Transition**

As the questioning was going on, Chiba led the search of the store grounds and the belongings of the three suspects.

"So, why did you find?" Megure asked.

"The most pressing issue with killing Fujiki-san is that from the entrance on the side wall, it isn't a straight line to the office but rather one goes straight and then makes a right. No sort of firearm or implement could've popped the balloons unless it went straight through the wall. Obviously, there are no bullet holes in the store wall, and nobody reported hearing anything near as loud as a gunshot. The only possible way it could've been done, to our knowledge, was for someone to have directly entered the office and killed Fujiki-san."

"N-no, I'm not lying, Officer!" Yuniko said.

"There is another possibility," Misao chimed in.

"And you are...?" Megure said, confused.

"Megure, you really don't recognize me?!" Misao said.

"No, not...Aha! Now I remember! You're that police officer from Gunma Prefecture, right?"

"You mean that _inspector_ from Gunma," Misao said.

Sometimes I feel like I don't get enough respect around here, Misao thought.

"Right. What was this other possibility you were referencing?"

"There was a fire burning, right?" Misao said. "I think I pointed that out earlier."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, what if the fire caused the room to hear up to the extent that the two balloons expanded and then burst on their own?" Misao theorized.

Eri shook her head. "The office room wasn't _that_ hot at the time. Besides, how could the culprit even be sure that the victim would've been present in the room when that happened?"

Megure turned to Chiba. "Anyways, what did the suspects have at their disposal?"

"Ah, yes, that," Chiba said. "First, Wakahara-san had a purse, and inside it she had her phone, car keys, her wallet, some miscellaneous pieces of paper, two rubber bands, and...a lighter."

"Second," he continued, "Hidaka-san had a...a...a weird toy thingy keychain-"

"It's called a matryoshka doll," Yuniko said.

"Yunnie-chan got it during a trip to Russia, if I recall," Hidekazu said.

"Right, that," Chiba said. "She had that, and then she had her wallet, her phone, her car keys, and a tube of...chapstick."

"Finally," he said, "there's Aohashi-san, who had a 5 mW green laser pointer keychain, his phone, his wallet, his car keys, and several wrapped hard candies."

"Hmm," Megure said. "As you said, there wasn't really any thing on that list which could be used to kill Fujiki-san."

"Wait, is it possible that he...killed himself?" Sonoko suggested.

"Ehh?"

"He could've deliberately filled the balloons with carbon monoxide, sat in his office, and popped them," Sonoko said.

"But why would a man who'd recently gotten married seek to kill himself?" Misato asked.

"Yes, that _is_ the question," Kogoro said sarcastically.

 **Scene Transition**

"I see," Megure said. "So your wife texted you and told you about the situation here."

"Yeah," Kogoro said. "She let me know the full details of this case."

" _Pssst_ , this is gonna be good," Misao whispered to Misato excitedly.

"Is that him?" Misato whispered back. "Is he that Sleeping Kogoro guy you've been telling me about?"

"Yeah. He's the guy who helped rescue you last time, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I remember seeing him there," Misato said. "But, uh, wasn't there a little girl with them that time?"

"Nancy? Yeah, I guess she isn't here this time."

Meanwhile, a few feet away, Sonoko tapped Eri's shoulder.

" _Oi_ , isn't Conan-kun being unusually quiet?" Sonoko whispered.

Eri nodded.

Conan grinned.

Alright, he thought. All the pieces are in order. Frankly, I'm surprised nobody here noticed. But now it's time to wrap this up with another episode of Sleeping Kogoro's Deduction Show.

He hid behind the counter, aimed his stun gun wristwatch at Kogoro's neck, and fired.

Kogoro made a few gargling noises as he fell over backwards, and then he was out like a light as his unconscious body leaned against the counter and slid down about one foot.

"This is it! This is it!" Misao said, giddy all over.

"Indeed it is," Conan/Kogoro said. "Inspector."

"Yes?" Misao said.

"Inspector Megure, I meant," Conan/Kogoro clarified. "The solution to this case has been right under your nose this whole time. Granted, if it was something easily picked up on I doubt the killer would've dared in the first place, so I don't blame you. To show you all exactly what I mean, I'd like to conduct a quick experiment. Conan?"

" _Haaaii_!" Conan "responded", coming out from behind the counter.

He got Chiba's attention, got the fat cop to bend down to his level, and then whispered something in his ear.

"You think you can do that?" Conan asked.

Chiba nodded. "If that's what Mouri-san wants, then sure thing."

He then ran off to carry out the instructions.

Conan, meanwhile, ran back behind the counter.

"Next, for this experiment we'll be counting on my lovely assistant, Sonoko-kun," Conan/Kogoro said.

"Huh? Me?" Sonoko said, a little confused.

"In a few seconds it'll hopefully have been set up," Conan/Kogoro said. "Then I'll have one simple task for you."

Finally, Chiba returned. He handed something to Sonoko.

"Sonoko-kun, I'd like for you to walk up to the office entrance," Conan/Kogoro said.

She complied.

"Now, look behind you," Conan/Kogoro said. "What do you see?"

"Uh...a clothes rack?" Sonoko said.

"Very good. I'd like you to go inside of it, as though you were a child playing around while your parents were shopping here."

Sonoko complied.

"Now, take the laser pointer you were handed and aim it at the office entrance, being careful as to not be seen by us as you do it."

She barely brushed aside a shirt so as to create a small opening in the wall of clothes. She then began to aim, and a few seconds later she fired.

"Now, are any of you able to see the beam, or Sonoko-kun?" Conan/Kogoro asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"That's because the laser beam emitted is extremely narrow," Conan/Kogoro said. "It's highly focused. That is to say, it's concentrated onto such a small area that in practice, the laser light is much more powerful than 5 milliwatts. It's narrowly focused to such a degree, in fact, that the odds of that beam showing up on security camera footage is virtually zero. Sonoko-kun, in operating the laser pointer have you come across an intense green glare?"

"Yeah, it's annoying," she said.

"Try to hold the beam steady so that the glare remains constant."

Sonoko did as she was told, and then:

*POP*

"Officer Chiba, please go check on the balloons I had you set up," Conan said.

A few seconds later, Chiba returned from doing this.

"It popped!" he said.

"There's several balloons remaining, but I'm satisfied with the outcome of this experiment," Conan/Kogoro said. "Thank you, Sonoko-kun. You can come out now."

"Mouri-kun, please explain what just happened," Megure said.

"Gladly. On the wall in front of the point where you turn right at the office entrance, there's a very small square mirror aligning the wall. Fired from the right angle, the killer could've fired a laser light which reflected off the mirror and shone on one of the two balloons. After several seconds, it popped. Any sufficiently powerful laser light can pull this trick off, especially when using a black balloon and a green laser. There are even YoTube videos of very powerful lasers smashing through thick layers of black balloons within seconds. It's no coincidence, then, that the balloons used for this trick were black. And of course, the only person here equipped to pull off a trick like this was the person to whom the green laser pointer used in our experiment belonged: Hidekazu Aohashi. You're the only one who could've done this!"

Stunned, Hidekazu fell to his knees.

"Hidekazu-kun..." Yuniko began.

"...That living piece of human garbage deserved it," Hidekazu said. "After all...he was planning to murder my sister!"

"Say what?!" Misao said.

"I caught him in here, one the night after we'd just put up the balloons, after I briefly came back to retrieve my phone...he was practicing with a laser pointer to pop balloons in the office! That mirror had been set up earlier that day, and in that moment I understood what it was meant for, what he was planning. I imagine he would've lured her up here for the purpose of murdering her in that office, and soon. He married my sister just so that, after killing her, he'd attain sole ownership of this store. That greedy little b****rd had been lying to her every time he proclaimed that he loved her...the only things he loves are money and power!"

"But...killing him was a bit much, don't you think?" Tomomi said.

Hidekazu scoffed. "What was I going to do, go to the police without any proof? And even if I had smashed that mirror on the spot, he would've just bided his time and found another way to kill her. I couldn't afford to bungle this, I...owed Haruyo way too much to let Tadamasa do this to her. She'd always been looking out for me since we were both little. Well, today she needed me, and I didn't let her down. My only regret now is that I got caught."

 **Ending**

( _Hoshi Monogatari_ by Egoist)

I know you've taken this from my cold dead fingertips

I wrote this to tell you what I never had the nerve to say

Because I know that right now, you're punishing yourself

Because you of all people deserve to know the whole story

Once I was only a child, but I was old enough to understand

Something important was missing, though I didn't know what

I wandered in the dark, calling to the crowd, "Excuse me, sirs!"

"Somebody, anybody, please, tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

Finally, on the starry night of Tanabata, I looked out my window

And said, "Kami-sama, if you could let me have a friend, just one.

One who's true and faithful, and funny, but most of all spirited.

This one thing I ask, and I'll never ask for anything ever again."

And then I met you, and in what seemed like an eternity I had

The chance to know you, and for the first time I was really happy

It never ended, you see, that initial bliss: it grew, as we grew closer

Thank you, my one and dearest friend, for teaching me how to love

 **Post-Ending**

"In spite of it all, I thought there was something heroic about what he did," Misato said.

"Hmph, what are you saying?" Kogoro said. "He didn't have any proof that the guy was going to murder his sister. For all we know he could've just been popping balloons with lasers and mirrors late at night because he was bored."

No, he knew, Conan thought.

"But still, he must've really cared about his sister," Misao said. "I couldn't really see myself going that far, were Misato's life on the line."

"What are you talking about?" Misato asked. "You got up in the middle of your soap operas and boarded a flight to Pakistan at a moment's notice, missing several days of work and nearly getting fired from your job as a result."

"Pakistan?" Eri said.

"Oh, that, funny story," Misao said. "Years ago, when Misato was still in college, he went on a several week long trip to rural Pakistan for the purpose of helping establish a medical clinic there. In the process, he saved a girl who'd suddenly stopped breathing. Grateful, the girl's father invited Misato over to his house for dinner, where they had undercooked lamb meat. He ended up contracting a tapeworm infection in his gut. He went to a hospital in Karachi and demanded that they operate on him immediately to remove it."

"They didn't need to hear a gross story like that," Misato said, blushing.

...Hold on! Conan thought, alarmed. A tapeworm infection in his gut; could it really be that he is...?!

 **End of Episode**


End file.
